Pipe-wrench.



No. 818,877. PATENTED APR. 24, 1906.

C. L. DUNHAM.

PIPE WRENCH.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 20, 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

wfllllllli lll IIIIIHIIIIIIHHH! IIII Ill LMIUHHHHHI IIHHHHHIHH IIHHH] I W/T/VESSES PATENTED APR. 24, 1906 C. L. DUNHAM. PIPE WRENCH.

APPLICATION FILED JULY29,1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

2% R m m M l V N 1 .iZDMm UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PIPE-WRENCH- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 24, 1906.

Application filed July 29. 1905. Serial No. 271,835.

To all whmn it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES L. DUNIIAM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Centerview, in the county of Monroe and State of Ohio, have invented new and useful lmprovements in Pipel/Vrenches, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in pipe-wrenches, and it is an improvement on Letters Patent granted to me for pipewrenches, dated August 14, 1900, and numbored 656,154; and it consists in the novel construction and arrangement of parts of which it is composed, whereby the gripping portion of the device will readily and at all times accommodate itself to the unevenness of the pipe, thus grasping and holding said pipe at all points of contact. At the same time great leverage and power is provided with less exertion to the operator, all as will be hereinafter more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

My main object in constructing the device as herein described and shown is to provide means whereby every part of the exterior of a pipe where the wmench is applied will be firmly gripped and securely held by said wrench. Pipes being uneven on their outer surface by reason of portions thereof having more or less flattened surface or, perhaps, flaws thereon, wrenches heretofore constructed could not grasp the entire outer surface, as there would be one or more spaces between grasping-jaw and pipe, thereby preventing the nu-ench from contacting with the entire outer surface of said pipe. By the peculiar construction and arrangement of the pivotal joints of the several gripping-sections the slipping of said sections while grasping a pipe is obviated and the gripping-sections caused to reach, seek, and contact with the entire outer circumference of the pipe.

The annexed drawings, to which reference is made, fully illustrate my invention, in which Figure 1 represents a side view, partly sectional, of my improved wrench. Fig. 2 is a side view of one of the sections. Fig. 3 is an edge view of the same. Fig. 4 is a side view of the enlarged section, and Fig. 5 is an edge view of the same.

Referring by letter to the accompanying drawings, A designates my improved pipewrench, which is composed of sections a b 0 (Z and a lever or handle 6, by which the device is operated.

The lever or handle 6 is pivoted to the enlarged section a, which latter is constructed -in skeleton form, and said lever is provided with a triangular bearing or opening f, through which the pivotal pin 9 passes, forming a fulcrum in connecting the enlarged section to the lever.

The opposite end of the enlarged or skeleton section is pivoted to a smaller section b, which in turn is pivoted to the section 0, and the latter section is pivoted at d to the section (Z, said section resembling the letter J in shape, and the same is provided at its outer free end with a curved projection i and an exterior curved surface t, which engages the curved nose 7' on the inner end of the operating-lever.

The hearings in the ends 8 of the sections are small and lit neatly the pivotal pins "0, while the hearings in the opposite ends of each intermediate section, as well as the last or end section, are enlarged to allow the sections to play loosely upon the connectingpins.

The inner faces of the pivoted sections have the desired curvature, as shown, to encircle the pipe, as well as being provided with shoulders it, which engage one another when the sections are opened and prevent said sections from straightening out when the device is released from a pipe, permitting the links or sections to have a limited outward play and provide an opening Z between the free end of the section (Z and the section (1, thus prow'iding a passage for a pipe.

In providing means whereby the several sections that grasp the pipe are forced to accommodate themselves to the uneven surface of a pipe I provide each section, with the exception of the enlarged section, with a large bearing or opening to engage loosely the pivotal or connecting pin.

The pivotal pins snugly lit the small bearings m in one end of each section (L b c, and at the opposite end of the sections b c, as well as the section (Z, the bearings m are enlarged, thereby permitting each section a free move ment upon the pivotal pins, and when pressure is brought upon the sections by the nose of the lever engaging the section (Z the loose hinged or pivotal joints readily allow the sections to grasp and accommodate themselves to a pipe and leave no space between the latter and wrench. The bearings, with their pivots, are arranged beyond the central line of each section, and when pressure is applied to the lever said construction causes the sections to draw toward the center of the gripping-opening and firmly bind the pipe evenly and with the same pressure upon all sides of said pipe.

It will be readily seen from the above description, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, that in placing the pivotal pins above or to one side of the central line I provide an inward-drawing movement of the gripping-sections in the direction of the central point of the opening in which a p1pe is grasped and held, and in connection With the enlarged bearings for the pivotal pins the sections not only move forward and to the center of the gripping-opening, but each section accommodates itself to the pipe, seeking any uneven places thereon and independently of the adjacent section, each sect1on gripping its portion of the pipe, binding the same to the wrench.

It will be further observed that my construction of the fulcrum-bearing, the same being triangular in form, permits the fulcrumpin to travel back and forward in said opening and permits the lever to accommodate itself to different-sized pipes, the fulcrum-pin finding its own seat at a certain point in the opening. At the same time there is very little friction between said pin and lever, for the reason that at all times the pin is in contact with said lever at only two points, as shown at p p, thus providing what I term an antifriction-bearing for the lever-fulcrum, thereby giving a great force to the lever when pressure is applied thereto, and it will be seen that in constructing the enlarged section the fulcrum portion 1 thereof is arranged to bring the fulcrum-pin on about a horizontal line with the center of the gripping opening of the several pivoted sections when said sections are in a closed position.

Each section is limitedinits outward movement by means of the shoulders thereof on gaging one another, which prevents said sections from straightening out, which is undesirable in wrenches of this character for the reason the sections have to be brought back to encircle a pipe; but by being limited in their movement, as above described, the wrench is always in position and can be readily applied to a pipe by using the handle only, the pipe passing through the opening or space between the enlarged section and d-shaped end section.

In using my improved pipe-wrench the in presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

pivoted sections encircle the pipe in the usual manner, the free end of the end section entering the space between the flanges of the enlarged section, after which the curved nose or point of the lever is brought into engagement with said section, when the handle portion of the lever is brought down, which causes the lever to turn upon its fulcrum, raising the nose and forcing the end section to move upward and inwardly, causing each section to turn on their pivots and move inward. At the same time the enlarged bearings of said sections permit a free movement of the sections and allow them to seek and grasp uneven places on the outer surface of the pipe and accommodate themselves independently of one another as pressure is applied to the handlever.

Simultaneously with the movement of the pivoted sections the fulcrum-pin finds its desired position in the V-shaped portion of the triangular bearing. Thus the fulcrum pin shifts from one place in said bearing to an other place, according to the sized pipe to be gripped, and at all times the contact between the pin and triangular bearing is very slight, thus providing little or no friction at the fulcrum.

Having thus described my improved pipewrench, What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a pipe-wrench of the character described, the shouldered sections provided respectively with small and large bearings for the pivotal pins, said pins and bearings arranged beyond the central line of the sections,

substantially as described.

2. The Within-described pipe-wrench, comprising the operating-handle, having a triangular bearing for the fulcrum-pin, the sections hinged to one another by pins passing through large and small bearings in said respective sections, whereby each section, has its free and independent play upon the connecting-pins, substantially as described.

3. In a pipe-wrench of the character described, the respective sections provided with large and small bearings for the connectingpins; the pivotal points of the sections arranged to one side of the center of each section, in combination with the lever provided with the triangular fulcrum-bearing, substantially as described.

4. In a sectional pipe-wrench, the hinged sections respectively provided with large and small bearings arranged outside of the central line of the connecting-sections, in combination with the fulcrum-section and a lever .for operating said sections substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature CHARLES L. DUNHAM. Witnesses:

M. M. HUTCHISON, JOHN W. I-IUTOHISON. 

